Rosie O'Donnell executive produces and stars in the powerful new Lifetime Original Movie "America." Based on E.R. Frank's book of the same name, the film takes viewers on the emotional journey of seventeen-year-old America as he navigates the United States foster care system.

O'Donnell leads the cast as a therapist who gives America the support to deal with his troubled past and find the courage to survive against all odds. Newcomer Philip Johnson makes his acting debut in the title role alongside Academy Award nominee and Emmy Award-winning actress Ruby Dee. "America" premieres Saturday, February 28, 2009, at 9pm ET/PT.

ABOUT THE MOVIE:

Dr. Maureen Brennan (O'Donnell) has spent her career counseling teens as a therapist at Ridgeway, a residential treatment facility for foster kids who are on the cusp of "aging out" of the "system." Her newest patient is seventeen-year-old America (Johnson), a withdrawn and troubled boy who has been in foster care since infancy. As a youngster, America initially found stability in the arms of Mrs. Harper (Dee), an elderly nanny to one of his foster families. A few days before the start of kindergarten, though, America is reunited with his birth mother, only to be abandoned yet again and left at the mercy of an imperfect system. After years of sexual abuse, America is full of anger and confusion and attempts suicide, landing him at Ridgeway. There, Dr. Brennan slowly helps him open up about his painful past and provides him with the support and courage to reclaim his life before the system turns its back.